Airtel Uganda acquires new fleet of vehicles to reduce C02 emissions

By Wod Omoro

Airtel Uganda recently announced the overhaul of its fleet with the aim of reducing carbon emissions as part of its environmental stewardship goal and serving customers better.

This comes weeks after the company launched green-towers in Iganga as part of reducing their carbon emissions in their operations. The towers do not use any fossil fuels.

The new fleet of 2022 Toyota Hilux Country Double cabins was chosen because of its low carbon emission in its class. It is the most economical engine in the Hilux range equipped with a manual gear box managing around 30mpg while emitting 241g/km of CO2. The retired fleets of cars were 8 years old and nearing the CO2 limits.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Flavia Ntambi, Airtel Uganda’s Human Resource Director said: “With Airtel’s 4G network infrastructure covering Uganda border to border, there is need for us to move teams and other resources in an environmentally friendly manner.

Our teams will now be able to service all territories faster and ensure that our services are improving the lives of Ugandans.”

The new vehicles are more reliable, and efficient hence improving mobility and service delivery. The Traffic and Road Safety Act, 1998 (Amendment) Act 2018, bans the importation of motor vehicles that date 15 years or more from the date of manufacture and puts a 50% environmental levy on a motor vehicle that is nine years old or more due to their threat to the environment.

“It is important that we progressively support the governments and global efforts, in whichever way possible, to minimize the impact of our operations on the environment. We look forward to supporting efforts to expand e-mobility in Uganda as well,” Ntambi concluded.